Hello, my name is Jeanne and I am a cheeseaholic.

I came to this conclusion after opening my fridge this morning and inexplicably finding a case of Raspberry Bellavitano. An entire case – as in 12 pounds of Raspberry Bellavitano wedges, neatly packaged in beautiful labels.
There was a note attached from my husband that said: “Did you order this? I’m guessing yes. If so, you owe Ken $69.20.”
Turns out yes, yes I did order the cheese. I just can’t entirely remember why.
Here’s the thing: I can’t help it, I love cheese. I especially love really good cheese, and I really, really love getting really good cheese for a deal. A friend of mine was visiting the Sartoi cheese plant in Antigo last week and asked me at our weekly Rotary meeting if he could pick me up some cheese. I vaguely remember telling him. “Sure.” He said the best deal was to buy it by the case, so I told him to pick me up a case of Raspberry Bellavitano — one of the best new cheeses on the market right now for introducing consumers to artisan cheeses. It’s sweet, mild, yet has a little kick of flavor. It’s one of those great tipping point cheeses — if I can get somebody to taste and love Raspberry Bellavitano, there’s a good chance they will eventually try bigger, bolder cheeses and perhaps eventually even someday order a Limburger sandwich on rye at Baumgartners with me in Monroe.
This is what I tell myself, anyway. I can dream.
Turns out a case of Raspberry Bellavitano may not actually last that long. I’ve already given 1/2 pound wedges to two of my neighbors who were out watering their lawns this morning and gave a couple of chunks to my bug guy, Bernie, who shows up at 6 a.m. four times a year to kill the spiders in my basement. He was super happy. And so was I. Only 10 pounds left to go! Raspberry Bellavitano, anyone?

Published by cheeseunderground

6 thoughts on “Yes I am a Cheeseaholic”

  1. No shame in being a cheeseaholic!

    I've never tried (or even seen) Raspberry Bellavitano… would be happy to take some of it off your hands if I could. 🙂

    (First time commenter, long time reader, by the way… love the site! I always learn something new about cheese when I read your blog. Keep up the great work!)

  2. Actually, this is one of the best cheeses I've tried in a long time.

    It was great eaten by itself. Even better on spring greens with fresh raspberries. And I even contemplated making up a great little smoked maple turkey panino with it… but, alas, it was all gone!

  3. I'll gladly take some if possible 🙂 I've never tried Raspberry Bellavitano before. It's ok to be a cheeseaholic. May I call you your Royal Cheeseness!?!

  5. My friend Tina just introduced me to your blog. Since I'm a cheese freak, from Antigo originally and a Rotarian, this was quite a mind-blowing post. Sure I'll take some too; I'm certainly familiar with Antigo cheese but not this one.

Comments are closed.